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PREFACE. 



]n " Wild Spain " we endeavour to describe a little- 

 known land from a point of view hitherto almost 

 unoccupied — that of the sportsman-naturalist. Many 

 books have been written on Spain — some very good 

 ones : but recent volumes chiefly confine themselves to 

 the history, antiquities, architecture, Szc, of the country, 

 with their authors' impressions of the Spanish people. 

 Such subjects find no place — save incidentally — in the 

 present work, which systematically avoids the beaten 

 track and essays to depict some of the unknown and 

 more remote regions. 



During more than twenty years the authors have 

 undertaken sporting expeditions into various parts of 

 Spain — chiefly in Andalucia, but including, at one time 

 or another, nearly all the western provinces from the 

 Mediterranean to Biscay. A love of wild sport has 

 been, perhaps, the leading motive ; but the study of 

 natural history has hardly been of secondary impor- 

 tance. In pursuit of these twin objects we have spared 

 neither time nor trouble, spendmg weeks — sometimes 

 months — at a time, in the sierras and wildernesses of 

 Spain, bivouacing wherever night overtook us, or the 

 chances of sport might dictate, and camping-out on 

 the glorious snow-clad cordilleras. 



Our subjects are the wild-life and ferce naturce of the 



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